JPH0455702B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an anti-snoring device that can be inserted into the human mouth to stop snoring.

(Prior Art and Problems with the Prior Art) Devices have been developed to prevent or stop snoring during sleep.

For example, US Patent Nos. 4169473, 4304227,
No. 3132647, No. 3434740, No. 4196724, No.
No. 3448738, No. 3211143, No. 2800898, No.
No. 2604093, No. 2531222, No. 2528370, No.
It is disclosed in No. 2505056 etc.

Among the above US patents, No. 3,434,470, which is considered to be particularly close to the present invention, is described. This US patent describes a U-shaped channel placed in the human mouth. The channel is adapted to releasably grip the upper teeth.

However, the device disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. It becomes a passage. Also, in the disclosed device, air still passes through the lower lip and lower teeth, creating undesirable vibrations.

Additionally, all conventional devices placed in the human mouth tend to disturb a person's sleep, and the device disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. Since the device is partially bridged in the oral cavity to maintain proper alignment, it is necessary to fit the device very tightly and precisely by adhesive or mechanical means to prevent the device from becoming dislodged from the teeth.

A major problem with any oral device is that
The anti-snoring device is subject to regular wear and discomfort by the user who requires it.

The device configurations disclosed in U.S. patents other than the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,470 are large and cumbersome except when the patient is critically ill and requires mechanical assistance.

For example, U.S. Patent No. 2505056 or U.S. Pat.
The device shown in No. 2528370 causes discomfort and sleep deprivation due to distortion or restriction of the jaw. Although the H-shaped cross-section devices shown in US Pat. Nos. 4,304,227 and 4,169,473 are effective in this respect, they are large in size and restrict the free movement of the tongue.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a comfortable device that does not move around the place where it is placed during sleep, and that very effectively restricts the flow of air to the mouth when used on the human body, and as a result,
To provide an anti-snoring device in which the air flow only passes from the nose to the lungs.

(Means for Solving the Problems and Their Effects) The present invention achieves the above object by providing a thermally deformable mold having three flanges whose cross section is approximately Y-shaped, and whose plane surface is approximately U-shaped. Made of wood,
When molded into the shape of the user's oral cavity and inserted into the oral cavity, the first flange engages the front surface of the user's upper dental arch, and the second flange engages the rear surface of the upper dental arch, respectively; Achieved by an anti-snoring device whose dimensions and shape are set such that the third flange is located between the teeth and gums of the lower dental arch and the lower lip, and where all flanges are soft and flexible. did.

In order for a user to sleep comfortably, it is necessary that the space inside the user's mouth be obstructed to a minimum.

In order to reduce displacement of the anti-snoring device during sleep, it is necessary to position the device positively and, ideally, to follow the user's dentition.

In order to prevent uncomfortable sleep due to restrictions on the movement of the user's jaw, it is not preferable for the anti-snoring device to be located on the lower dental arch. In order to inhibit air passage through the user's mouth, an anti-snoring device is typically required to obstruct passage to a large portion of its air passage area.

To allow the user to breathe more deeply and take in air, which often occurs during sleep, the anti-snoring device blocks this air passage when the user forces the mouth to open wide. It should not be a thing.

The anti-snoring device according to the present invention includes (a) an elastic bendable molding material formed to complement the shape of the teeth in the upper dental arch of the user, and (b) a shape of the user's mouth. (c) having a dependent flange capable of cooperating with the lower lip of the user; (d) having a plurality of interconnected pockets that closely engage the dentition of the upper dental arch; (e) The depth of the lower flange is such that the air flow path opens when the mouth is wide open, and (f) This allows the section to be fully closed.

The materials used in the anti-snoring device according to the present invention are generally soft, bendable materials, although rigid materials may be required.

If the lower flange is thin-walled and flexible and deforms according to the recess between the lower gums and lower lip, the anti-snoring device will hardly move when the lower jaw moves during use. do not. Furthermore, even if the upper flange extends between the upper gums and the upper lip, the displacement still does not occur. Furthermore, since the shape of the pocket is complementary to the user's upper tooth row, there is almost no possibility that the pocket will fall out of the user's mouth.

Since the above-mentioned displacement due to spillage etc. can be almost reduced, it is possible to make the walls of the above-mentioned three flanges flexible, and therefore the user can insert it into his or her mouth without feeling uncomfortable. It allows you to sleep comfortably throughout the night.

(Example) Hereinafter, the anti-snoring device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 to 6 show an embodiment of the snoring prevention device according to the present invention.

It is well known that there are thermally deformable materials that soften with temperature, readily conform to the shape of the mouth at the temperature of the mouth, and retain that shape when cooled. Therefore, for example, a mouthguard made of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer is heated in hot water, placed inside the mouth, the jaw is closed, the mouthguard is removed and quickly cooled, and then the mouthguard is placed on the surface of the mouth. It can be formed by fitting.

The present invention utilizes the above method. In addition, the present invention utilizes the properties of the above-mentioned materials to employ the device in the reproduction of a stone model of a patient's teeth and gums. For example, these properties have been exploited in custom-made devices that fit very precisely without placing heated material in the patient's mouth.

In this embodiment, as shown in cross section in FIGS. 5 and 6, the anti-snoring device 10 placed in the user's mouth has a roughly Y-shaped cross section. The anti-snoring device 10 has three flanges, namely the first
It consists of an upper flange 11 which is a flange, a lower flange 12 which is a third flange, and an inner flange 13 which is a second flange.

In the plan view of FIG. 3, the snoring prevention device is
It is roughly U-shaped. Also, the upper flange 11
A recess 14 is defined between the lower flange 12 and the lower flange 12 .

Although the shape and dimensions within the mouth can vary considerably, it is important to first select a size and shape that allows a single-dimensional workpiece to be formed to follow the large and low openings with a minimum of fine fitting operations. molded to do so. The material used in this example may also be another material, such as a copolymer of ethylene vinyl acetate. With the upper flange 11 and the inner flange 13 heated (between 40°C and 60°C), the anti-snoring device is positioned within the mouth. With the jaws closed, the teeth 16 of the upper arch are pushed into the recesses 14 and the upper flange 11 and inner flange 13 are molded using the fingers to follow the mouth, thus forming a series of pockets 17. The heated anti-snoring device 10 is removed from the mouth and placed in cold water to maintain its shape. Similarly, the lower flange 12 is also heated and molded to fit the shape of the mouth in front of the teeth of the lower arch.

When using the anti-snoring device, the upper flange 11 is inserted into the upper recess 20 (upper lip groove) (see Fig. 6) between the upper lip 21 and the upper gum 22, and the lower flange 12 is inserted into the lower lip 24. into the lower recess 23 (lower lip groove) between the upper and lower gums 25. The inner flange 13 is placed behind the upper teeth 16 and the lower flange 12 is placed in the front of the teeth 26 of the lower arch of the mouth. The user's tongue typically rests on the lower teeth 26 or the inner surface of the inner flange 13. If necessary, the flange can be trimmed to avoid interference with the inside of the user's mouth.

Even if the lower jaw drops during sleep,
When the wearer breathes, the lower lip 24 normally relaxes and forms a seal against the front surface of the lower flange 12. However, the lower lip 2
1 moves outward when breathing out, so breathing is not inhibited by this anti-snoring device 10. As shown in FIG. 6, the depth of the lower flange 12 is shallower than the depth of the recess 23. Even during sleep, if the user requires more oxygen due to the forced movement of the lower jaw, the mouth is opened sufficiently to create an air flow path through the lower flange 12 in extreme situations.

Recesses 1 for retention of the upper and lower flanges in their respective recesses in the mouth and by the intraoral surface.
4, there is little chance of movement or spillage of the anti-snoring device. The upper and lower flanges 11, 12 are thin and flexible, and the inner flange 13 does not occupy most of the space within the oral cavity.

Therefore, the anti-snoring device according to the present invention can be used comfortably. Also, there is no need to attach other external parts and there is no need for holes or the like to receive tongues. The present invention may be constructed of other materials with similar properties to ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers. Moreover, the anti-snoring device according to the present invention may be placed upside down.
It is preferable that the teeth 16 of the upper arch engage in the recess 14 between the inner flange 13 and the outer flange 11.

(Effects of the Invention) The anti-snoring device according to the present invention does not move or slip off from the mouth area during sleep, and can be used comfortably, and effectively reduces the flow of air to the mouth area when used on the human body. restraint so that airflow can only pass from the nose to the lungs. Furthermore, even when taking deep breaths, an air flow path can be created without any problem. In addition, the anti-snoring device according to the present invention has many other excellent effects.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the anti-snoring device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the anti-snoring device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front view of the anti-snoring device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a rear view seen from the direction indicated by arrow 4 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken along line 5--5. FIG. 6 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5, showing the anti-snoring device in the user's mouth. (Explanation of symbols), 10...Snoring prevention device, 11
...Upper flange, 12...Lower flange, 13...Inner flange, 14...Recess, 16...Tooth, 17...Pocket, 20...Upper recess, 21...Upper lip, 22...
Upper gum, 23...Lower recess, 24...Lower lip, 25
...Lower gingiva, 26...Teeth of the lower dental arch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. It is made of a heat-deformable molding material having three flanges whose cross section is roughly Y-shaped and whose plane is roughly U-shaped, and is molded into the shape of the user's oral cavity. When inserted into the oral cavity, the first flange engages the front surface of the user's upper dental arch, the second flange engages the rear surface of the upper dental arch, and the third flange engages the teeth of the lower dental arch. and an anti-snoring device sized and shaped to be located between the gums and the lower lip, and characterized in that all flanges are soft and flexible. 2. The anti-snoring device according to claim 1, wherein the third flange is formed to be shallower than the depth of the lower recess of the user's oral cavity. 3. After molding to the shape of the user's oral cavity, the recess between the first flange and the second flange forms a pocket having a shape complementary to the shape of each tooth of the user's upper dental arch. The anti-snoring device according to claim 2, having a plurality of surfaces. 4. The anti-snoring device according to claim 1, wherein the heat-deformable material is an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer. 5. The anti-snoring device according to claim 4, wherein the thickness of the three flanges is formed to have sufficient flexibility to seal against the surface of the user's oral cavity. 6. Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, said heat-deformable material being moldable to the shape of the user's oral cavity by heating at a temperature between 40°C and 60°C, applying pressure to the inner surface of the oral cavity, and immersing in cold water. The snoring prevention device according to claim 1, characterized in that: